I Love This Business, You Might Also
By Justin Roberts
It’s 2014 and I’m finally sick of people knocking professional wrestling/sports entertainment, wrestlers and most of all, the fans. I just read another story as I have over the years that bashed all of the above.
I strongly believe that everybody is entitled to their own opinion, so I encourage you to feel however you choose to feel about the industry. I just want to offer my personal thoughts before you continue on with your hatred for something you probably don’t fully or even partially understand.
I did not ask for permission from my company to write this as Vince McMahon once responded with, “why couldn’t you, it’s freedom of speech” when asking permission to write someone a letter years ago. These are my own personal thoughts, experiences, opinions and are in no way, the views or words of World Wrestling Entertainment, its employees, talent, etc.
Who am I to fill you in? I am and have been a wrestling fan since I was a child. I was a nerd. I didn’t have a lot of friends. I got bullied. But I didn’t care, I had an escape. Every Saturday, Sunday and Monday I escaped the real and often cruel world I lived in by watching World Wrestling Entertainment. The larger-than-life wrestlers, the dramatic emotional roller coaster story lines and everything about these TV shows captured my attention and imagination. I never questioned the reality or even cared, I just knew that I was hooked and I loved every minute of it. I lived for watching on TV and going to local shows in Chicago at the Rosemont Horizon and even more so, waiting in the back parking lot to meet my heroes.
I loved professional wrestling so much that I wanted to make a career out of being a part of the industry. I chased my dream to work as a ring announcer in the WWE and after years of hard work, dedication, shooting for the stars and never giving up, the chase was over.
As a ring announcer for WWE, I will never forget the incredible sights that my eyes have seen. It’s amazing looking out from the ring at 80,000 WrestleMania fans, working with the heroes I grew up idolizing and seeing the world, but the absolute best part is seeing what the wrestlers, real life superheroes do for other people’s lives.
Read the rest here!